This maxim, spoken by Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC), well illustrates the fact that any learning methodology needs to be not only efficient, but tailored to each individual student as well in order to better learn and assimilate.

For example, when learning Chinese, some students find it more difficult than others to memorise, pronounce and reproduce the tones of the Chinese language, while others have difficulty remembering the Chinese characters, or understanding written Chinese.

Our memnonic capabilities are not created equal. Some people have a more oral memory, others a more visual one – in other words, some retain anything they hear spoken while others remember better if they read something, as if their eye were taking a mental photograph. Still others need two or three times as long to memorise Chinese characters, for example.

Taking Chinese language courses doesn’t just mean showing up at your Mandarin lesson: it’s a long and hard road that requires motivation, discipline and diligence.

It requires a daily dose of independent work. Here on Superprof we have worked out four tips to help you arrive at your Chinese class perfectly prepared – a necessary step in the process of learning Mandarin Chinese.

Take a small break every half hour: 5-10 minutes to have a glass of water or air out your mind

Avoid time-consuming distractions such as Facebook or television

When re-reading your Chinese lessons, make notes of things you did not understand so you can ask your Mandarin teacher the next time you see them (a specific translation, Pinyin transcription, the order and direction of the lines in Chinese calligraphy, the meaning of certain Chinese symbols…)

Re-read your Mandarin lessons and notes every day: the best time is at night, shortly before going to sleep, as we memorise best at night.

You still have trouble learning Mandarin despite these good habits?

You still need to take the time to sum things up at regular intervals.

Summing Up Your Chinese Lessons and Making Flashcards

Summary flashcards are an excellent way to help you memorise your Chinese language lessons – or, indeed, learn French, English or Spanish – more rapidly.

Don’t hesitate to put up posters with Chinese characters to help you work on your Mandarin pronunciation and vocabulary.

While I was a student at University, I was rarely stressed out when studying for exams because, instead of re-reading dozens and dozens of longhand A4 sheets, I had previously summed up the main points of the lessons in bullet points on little flashcards. This helped nudge the brain into retaining only the important information, to help me understand without learning by heart.

Make charts and graphs to illustrate points of Chinese grammar or the order of Mandarin characters

Make one flash card per idea: Pinyin transcription, pronouncing the Chinese phonetic alphabet with its 23 initial consonants and 35 final vowels, the tones of Mandarin speech, Chinese grammar rules, the direction of strokes in Chinese calligraphy, Chinese vocabulary by theme…

By grouping each lesson into summary flashcards, vocabulary and pronunciation exercises will become easier. For example, you might try repeating these words aloud every day:

Learn how to say “hello” in Chinese: « nĭ hăo » (你 + 好)

Learn how to say “good-bye” in Chinese: « zài jiàn » (再 + 见)

Review your numbers: 八 (two), 五 (five)

If you can’t contact your Mandarin teacher, get help from the internet.

Speak Chinese on social networks or with Chinese friends you’ve met on your travels (if you know any)

Install a free Chinese learning app to listen to one lesson a day and get ahead of your Mandarin course.

Watch Chinese films at film festivals in the original language, or else stream them or buy them on dvd or blue ray. Photo credit: digitALWINner via Visualhunt / CC BY

Watch Chinese videos

It has been frequently noted that online videos – from YouTube, for example – can help you learn a language easily. Learning Chinese is no different.

However, YouTube is not available in China. They use a similar site called

Youku.Of course, a beginner Mandarin student will not understand anything and it is important to know some basics of the Chinese language and understand spoken Chinese to follow the videos.

However, even before you understand what they say your brain will learn to identify the tone and sounds of new words better in the future.

Find a native speaker

One last tip to soak in the language while learning Chinese at home: find a native Chinese speaker. Hook up with a language partner – a native speaker who will help you learn Mandarin while you help them with their English.

There are a lot of Chinese students out there who want to better their English. Photo credit: maltzevans via Visual hunt / CC BY-NC-ND

Mosalingua has created a page with links to various tools that will help you learn to speak Chinese like a native. Among them is Italki https://www.italki.com/home, a site that lets you find a language partner or else a native speaker to help you with Chinese lessons.

It’s like a Chinese Superprof!

The app is very easy to use. The catch? It costs about $15 to $27 per hour to for a teacher who is also a native Mandarin speaker. However, the language partners are is free – a true intercultural training programme, with a free, internation exchange of linguistic competence.

It’s ideal for a free Mandarin lesson and for practising your written Chinese.

Is your trip to China coming up soon?

The Internet is a gold mine for discovering Chinese culture between two lessons, practice your Chinese and take a language immersion course before even setting foot in China!

How much do you think Mandarin lessons should cost? Find tutors to learn Chinese with Superprof. No mater where you live, you’ll be able to learn Mandarin London to Lincoln, from Plymouth to Portsmouth.